Front wheel drive vs Rear wheel drive

Front wheel drive 

Advantages

• Its compact, the engine is mounted transversally hence car length can be kept smaller.
• Driving wheels (front wheels) has most weight on it as engine weighs much. So it gives us the good traction on driving wheels hence, slippage is less.
• Less weight of vehicle because there is no cardan shaft or drive shaft required.
• As the front wheels are steerable so the thrust (due to FWD) is produced in the direction of wheels.

Disadvantages

• Under heavy acceleration and climbing up on slope, the weight transfer is to rear wheels. The front wheels traction becomes less and can loss grip.
• Uneven tire wear-The braking and drive both is done by front wheels only.
• Torque steer-when FWD vehicle is accelerated heavily from stop, front wheel slips causing drift of front part of car.

Rear wheel drive

Advantages

• Better weight distribution at the time of braking as max weight is not on front wheels.
• Weight transfer during acceleration increases grip on rear wheels (good traction less slippage).
• No uneven tyre wear as work is distributed between front and rear tyre (braking on front wheels and drive on rear wheels).

Disadvantages

• Fishtailing or oversteer-the rear tyres are trying to accelerate and front tyres are not matching speed of rear tyres causing rear part to drift to side during heavy acceleration.
• Increase in vehicle weight due to complexity i.e. cardan shaft or drive shaft, universal joints etc.
• Less static weight on rear wheel if engine is in front in RWD.